A TikTok star known as Ringz N Tiingz has revealed how he leapt over a garden fence to help prevent a fire from spreading between properties and assist those caught up in the blaze in Birmingham. The 35-year-old TikToker said he was one of the first on the scene of the fire in Gorleston Road on Thursday, as it tore through residents' homes.
From shopping trip to fire rescue
Ringz N Tiingz said he was on his way to the shops when he noticed "unusual, thick smoke" in the air and followed it to a small field. "I went into the field, and I could see everything on fire. There was a row of houses you can see from the field, and the grass and everything was just on fire," he said.
He started livestreaming the fire before deciding to get "actively involved" in helping people. "As the fire was spreading, I just ran just before the fire reached me, jumped over this fence to go check if people's all right," he said. He described seeing someone run back into their house as fire approached from both sides, and how he and another man tried to put out the fire but it was "too big" and "too hot". They kicked down a back gate, jumped back over the fence, and worked to stop the fire from spreading.
Care home evacuation and emotional toll
The pair rushed to a nearby care home in search of fire extinguishers. "The care home was getting evacuated, and we just stopped the fire from spreading, because if the fire would have carried on spreading, the bushes would have went up, the trees would have went up, and then eventually that care home would have went up as well," he said. He described watching elderly residents being brought out, some in their beds or wheelchairs, others connected to medical equipment.
"If I'm honest, it felt overwhelming, as in it was emotional," Ringz N Tingz said. "It was just like, 'Oh my God... these are people's houses'. People are screaming... shouting. It was crazy. It was absolutely hectic." He added: "These people have got nothing. They've been living there for 30 years. They've got generational photos, that's all gone. The jewellery, everything's just gone. They've got nothing. One lady, bless her, the only items what she's got is the clothes what she was wearing. It's so sad."
Fundraising success
Some 4-5,000 people tuned into the livestream to watch the events unfold, the TikToker said. To support those displaced from their homes, Ringz N Tingz launched a fundraising page, urging his followers to contribute. "While we were doing what we were doing, towards the end of the night we could see the damage what's been caused, so we decided to set up a GoFundMe," he said. "We managed to raise £11,000 in the space of 24 hours." The appeal is one of numerous campaigns on the crowdfunding platform launched to support wildfire victims, with GoFundMe estimating that more than £110,000 has been raised across the various appeals combined.
